Ruth Kelly ready to vote with her conscience over abortion laws

Dilemma: Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly would have to leave the cabinet

Ruth Kelly was last night wrestling with a faith-versuscareer crisis as she planned to defy Gordon Brown over controversial embryo laws.

The Cabinet minister, a Roman catholic, is opposed to using embryos for scientific research on religious grounds - and is refusing to vote in favour of proposed Government legislation at its crucial final stage, the Daily Mail has learned.

Miss Kelly would almost certainly have to resign as Transport Secretary, ending her membership of the Cabinet after three-and-a-half years, if she follows through with her threat to ignore the Labour whip when the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill returns to the Commons next month.

Her defiance of Gordon Brown emerged as campaigners vowed to continue their fight to cut the abortion limit after the next election.

Pro-life MPs accused Labour whips of a secret campaign to ensure the status quo prevailed in a late-night vote on Tuesday.

The closest vote was on a 22-week limit, which was thrown out by 304 votes to 233.

Though all parties offered a free vote, those battling for a reduction accused Labour whips of ' dragooning' their MPs to oppose changes to the law.

Tory MP Nadine Dorries, leader of the campaign for a 20-week limit, said: 'The Labour MPs were on a three-line whip to attend the chamber. When they arrived, because normally only a third of them vote on this issue, they were dragooned off into the 24-week lobby.'

RELATED ARTICLES

Share this article

Share

Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith said: 'I talked to a number of Labour MPs and those who didn't feel strongly one way or another were reminded there is a by-election about to take place and a defeat would have been presented as a blow to the Government.'

Miss Dorries and other Tories said they believe the law will be changed if their party wins the next election.

Sources close to David Cameron, who voted to bring the limit down to 20 weeks, said he 'did not rule out' reopening the issue.

The Alive & Kicking Alliance, made up of pro-life groups and medical professionals, vowed to continue its campaign to reduce the number of abortions in the UK.

Spokesman Julia Millington said: 'Two out of three people, including three out of four women, and two out of three doctors, have signalled their support for a lowering of the 24-week limit.

'By ignoring this change in public mood, Parliament has demonstrated that it is seriously out of touch with the British people.'

Labour MP Louise Ellman insisted there had been 'no pressure' on her to vote a certain way.

She said: 'On these particular points of specific controversy there was no pressure, there was no whip - people voted as their consciences led them to.'

Miss Kelly was one of three Cabinet ministers who broke from Gordon Brown's position and voted in favour of a reduction from 24 weeks.

As a member of the conservative Catholic sect Opus Dei, she also feels unable to support plans agreed by MPs this week to extend testing on human-animal embryos and the creation of 'saviour siblings'.

Other Catholic members of the Cabinet - Defence Secretary Des Browne and Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy - will vote for the Bill as part of a deal struck with the Prime Minister.

Mr Brown headed off a rebellion earlier this year by offering Labour MPs free votes on the most controversial issues in return for full support of the entire Bill.

But a source at the Department for Transport told the Mail: 'Ruth Kelly will not vote for the third reading. She is planning to be away, even though she has attended every single vote - and voted against the Government - when she had a free choice.'

Mr Brown and Mr Murphy are said to be particularly disappointed by her decision, which poses yet another threat to the battered Prime Minister's authority.

One Labour MP said: 'This will cause a great deal of anger among her fellow Labour MPs, as even the most ardent opponents have kept to the deal.

'This is a Goverment Bill which the House, on free votes, has overwhelmingly endorsed.'

Earlier this month, Miss Kelly was allowed to miss a vote on the Bill's second reading so she could attend meetings on airport security.

Comments in yesterday's coverage were wrongly attributed, through a news agency error, to Ian Lucas, MP for Wrexham. Mr Lucas voted against all proposed amendments to the Bill and for the present 24-week limit on abortion to be maintained and made no criticism of the Prime Minister's conduct.